Falling Apart Silently
by aikodarkling
Summary: "Do you ever think the Universe fights for souls to be together? Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences" Tododeku. Vigilante Shouto Todoroki and nerd Izuku Midoriya
1. A Hundred White Flowers

A/N: (this only applies to some readers btw) I need to do like a bunch of apologies for the couple hundred people who read this fanfic between 26/07/19 and 17/08/19. I published this story, then ignored all my fanfictions for 3 weeks as I was in France and then deleted this story. The reason I deleted is because I forgot to write some obvious plot holes like the quirk ban and the setting that they lived in. I needed to change the season as well for the sunset and darkness (it'll become clearer later) Also, there was a character I messed up and I'm pretty sure you guys know who I'm talking about. Anyway, if you read the first chapter between 26/07 and 17/08 then reread this chap as it's similar but has some obvious differences. It's still tododeku as well.

Ramble over

"Hey"

All it took was one word, and sixteen-year-old Izuku Midoriya was immediately distracted. He was sitting in a room dedicated for doing homework in and it was filled with students wearing thick jumpers instead of their usual summer blazars. A couple of them also kept knitted scarfs and hats on. Izuku too had an unfashionable beige, knitted jersey which was a bit long on the arms, so he had them folded over at the cuffs. In front of him was a desk with sheets of paper spread about him, as if his entire bag had combusted along with his pencil case and history notes. Before that hushed voice had called to him, he was mindlessly writing an essay for his history homework, jotting down whatever came to his mind without much consideration or effort. Desperate for something interesting, Izuku perked his bushy head upwards to look for the owner of the voice.

"Behind you" giggled the same voice.

He sharply turned to see a boy seated in front of a computer but was craning around to talk to Izuku instead of focusing on his homework, as all students in this Homework Club should be doing. This boy had crimson hair which protruded upwards in an alarming manner. His eye colour matched his alarming hair colour and Izuku watched him with wide eyes. The striking character grinned and Izuku noticed he had very pointy teeth.

"Hiya bro," the boy spoke in the same whisper, "This essay is really hard and I dunno what it's about, man! Can you help please?"

"Oh, uh. I don't know what to write either" mumbled Izuku, but just before the boy turned back round, he added "But I do know that it's on World War One. More specifically, the title is: what were the causes of World War One. It should be an easy essay, but our class isn't studying World War One, so the teacher must've set the wrong homework for us. I'm not really surprised because he's not a very good teacher"

The boy seemed rather taken aback, but then grinned ferociously and held out his hand "I'm Kirishima, my Quirk is hardening!"

His hand then turned jagged and thicker than what it originally was, it was probably hard but Izuku didn't want to touch. He gasped loudly,

"That's illegal!" Izuku hissed, "P-put it away"

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to show you" and with that, Kirishima's hand returned to normal. Izuku couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief, he really didn't want to be roped as a witness for illegal Quirk use. Even the mention of a Quirk could result in punishment, let alone using it.

"Anyway," Kirishima continued "Can you help me with this? You've seemed to have written a lot of words. How did you know what to write?"

"Um, I guess I can help?" He bit his bottom lip, thinking deeply. "I took an online course on this particular subject one day, so I can teach you"

Izuku gingerly extended his right hand and shook Kirishima's rather sweaty palm, unusual for the frosty November weather but Izuku didn't think twice about it.

"Awesome!"

Then, the redhead turned to another boy next to him. This boy had two different hair colours: white and red spilt evenly down the middle. He didn't really know why the boy would dye his hair this way, but he assumed it was an artsy fashion statement. On a closer inspection, Izuku also noticed he had two different eye colours, but he didn't want to stare too much otherwise he'd come off as weird.

"You're in our history class too, right?"

The bicoloured boy completely ignored Kirishima and continued writing a very similar essay to Izuku's. Kirishima picked up his pencil and poked the other boy with it.

"Hiya!" He then repeated his original question.

After this, the red- and white-haired boy rolled his eyes and said, "What do you want?" In a clipped tone.

"Do you get this history essay?" For some reason, Kirishima's puppy-like demeanour hadn't faltered one bit.

"No" snapped the boy, "Does it matter to you?"

"Nope!" Grinned Kirishima, "But, how 'bout you join me and my new friend with a World War One revision session?"

New friend? Okay then.

The frigid boy rolled his eyes "Fine. I don't really care but you clearly aren't going to allow me to pass, so I'll tag along"

"Good to know!" Kirishima slapped the other boy on the back and Izuku winced at the loud sound.

The boy's attention was then turned on Izuku, who fidgeted under the intense glare. Turns out the boy's eye colour was an icy blue and a dull grey. "So, you're the teacher, right? What compels you take extra history lessons? I'm guessing you're trying to achieve greater grades, but I'm not sure why when this subject isn't in our curriculum" icily said the boy.

"I-uh!" squeaked Izuku, like a small, green mouse caught in a trap. Kirishima looked on with a worried expression on his bright face.

"It doesn't matter" the boy said drily as he rolled his eyes at Izuku who was currently hyperventilating, which didn't seem to bother the frosty boy. Maybe he was simply used to random nerds panicking at his feet, although Izuku will never know.

"So" Kirishima cleared his throat, probably trying to lighten up the situation. "When do you guys wanna meet up for this lesson?"

"I don't know. Whenever"

"I-I'm free two evenings a w-week. That's Wednesdays and Thursdays as I have a part time job, but I choose to work extra. I'm not sure why but it's fun, working in a bookshop"

"Stop muttering. We're all obviously trying to concentrate on homework" monotonously said the bicoloured boy.

"Sorry!" Izuku cowered away from another bone-chilling glare.

"How about Thursday? That's tomorrow" Interrupted Kirishima.

"Um, I think I can make it. It depends on the time, I'm usually in the library at break times and lunch times. It's a nice, quiet place to stay and I prefer to be surrounded by books instead of people. N-not that I don't like being with you guys-"

"You do realise you're wasting your breath, might as well use it for something useful" sighed the other boy. He harshly turned around to glare (yet again) at Izuku "The muttering is seriously annoying. Just shut up for once"

Izuku's jaw dropped. What had he done to make this kid so _angry_?

"Boys! This is supposed to be a quiet working area for homework" called out a teacher with a frown on her face.

Relieved to be saved by the teacher (he was unsure how to answer the boy's complaints), Izuku picked up his pen and chewed the end of it, breathing and thinking deeply to try to bring his extra lessons that he took about a month ago to mind. However, a small slip of paper landed directly on Izuku's history book with a quiet, scratchy noise. With fumbling hands, he unfolded the paper and gulped deeply as his eyes travelled down the lined paper:

**Tomorrow after school, meet us outside the library and bring your history book. Kirishima ( ^ω^)**

Sweat dripped down the back of his neck and Izuku grinded his teeth together, staring at the black words and desperately hoping they'd slither off the page away from him. Nothing seemed more daunting than encountering the uncaring, sarcastic boy for a second time. Regardless of how much he'd been staring at the card, the words stayed very prominent on the page therefore he slowly picked up his pen and scrawled a reply in his untidy hand:

**Ok. Bring your book, too.**

He folded the paper then stuffed his history book back into his satchel and left the room in a childish huff, pausing only to bitterly place the reply on the Kirishima's desk.

When he had returned home around five, Izuku immediately flopped onto his bed and basked in the relief of being home once more. The feeling of bliss subsided, and the usual empty loneliness returned. His mum wasn't home, but he was used to that as she was a nurse and worked very awkward shifts which made her stay away at very late hours, resulting in him never really speaking or connecting to her. Dinner was left in the fridge, alongside a note from his mother telling him how long to heat it in the microwave. He ate alone, scrolling through his phone but placing it on the table after a minute as he'd never bothered with any form of social media. It would just be another vector for people to spite him with cruel comments.

After dinner, Izuku completed his history homework, exceeding the word limit as he wanted the highest grade. After his homework, Izuku curled into a corner of his futon, swaddled in blankets and surrounded by books, and read for hours to his heart's content. He fell asleep holding his book upright and his reading glasses still on.

The next day, Izuku woke up with the infuriating beeping of his alarm clock in his ear and he groaned, sliding his legs off the futon and stretching them in the early sunlight. As soon as he stood, he slipped on a book on and tumbled to the floor, groaning in pain and slumping down dramatically. Then, he revived and pattered, barefoot, downstairs to meet his mum making a cup of tea.

"Hey. How was work?" he asked politely.

His mother looked very alike to him, with the same wide eyes, short build and dark green hair.

"Tiring, as per usual" she stifled a yawn and patted the top of his head, feeling the mass of vert curls spring back into place. "How's school, honey?"

"Oh, yeah" he shrugged and turned away from her so she wouldn't see his deceiving eyes "It's great fun. I do well on tests and made a bunch of friends. We always... hang out"

"Lovely. I'm going to go back to bed, I must go to work from three pm to two am, sorry. Hopefully I can get a day off where we can catch up soon" she shuffled back to her room and quietly shut the door.

He didn't want to worry her. That was his only excuse for lying to her every day; she already had so much on her plate and didn't intend to add to her load of problems. All he wanted to do was get through secondary school, then pass his exams and leave for a college or university through a scholarship of some sort. No one seemed to bother to befriend him, only talking to him for homework or test answers. Like the two boys at the homework club.

Hopping on the tram for school, Izuku shrugged off his khaki, hooded coat but left the threadbare beige jumper on. His collar which was accompanied by a gaudy, red tie was tight and uncomfortable round his neck. The island city (well, it was more like a metropolitan area as it homes over two million citizens, but everyone resorts to calling it a city) that he lived in was called Gillervide and it was divided into four sectors: Akuchi, Vellir, Selci and Niikura. His school was in Selci but the small, two bedroomed Midoriya apartment was in the centre of Akuchi therefore he had to take a tram to his school every day. He found this okay as the ride was a chance to relax before the hectic school day began.

Izuku pulled out a worn book with a tatty, brown cover and opened it up to the page where a bookmark rested with strings hanging limply off it. He glanced at the page, but a short spurt of anxiety forced him to slam the small, rectangular book shut again and shove it deep in the safety of his pocket. Breathing heavily, he leaned his head against the headrest of the seat and allowed his thoughts to drift away whilst the tram rattled along its tracks.

"So, are we gonna do this or what?"

Currently, Izuku was standing in front of Kirishima who was grinning his usual wide smile and the other homework club boy who had a pointed expression on his perfect face and crossed arms. After a day of drifting from lesson to lesson, all Izuku wanted was to get home and sleep. On the other hand, he had made a promise therefor here he was, at the library.

"Yes. Have you got your book?" he tried being polite, but the bitter boy was really starting to irritate him, and his tolerance was excessively low this afternoon.

"Yup, let's go in, then" Kirishima literally bounded to the oak doors and flung them open, radiating energy.

They settled for a medium, wooden desk with a warm lamp in the middle of the round table, seated on plush, dark green chairs. Izuku then began talking the two boy's through what they needed to learn for that essay, using his background notes as leverage. Neither of them interrupted, only listening with keen expressions. After a while, his mood lifted, he didn't feel so pessimistic about this 'session' and concluded teaching this small group was good for revision. His 'students' both began writing the lengthy essay and Izuku watched Kirishima objectively write in a scratchy, sloppy hand. Realising that the boy's language was very concise and required more development, Izuku guided his temporary student through his essay, giving him grammar tips and possible word swaps.

"Thanks. So, what's your name?"

"I'm Izuku Midoriya"

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the cold boy listening to his and Kirishima's conversation but didn't interject once.

"Nice to meet you" Kirishima grinned for the umpteenth time and then stood up "Right, I have to leave. See ya, I won't forget how you helped me, man"

And with that, the boy with the spiky, crimson hair left the library, holding his history book under one arm. Izuku watched Kirishima leave, and then turned back to see the other boy quickly look down.

"So," Izuku cleared his throat awkwardly feeling the tension hang in the hair; it was almost tangible. "What do you call yourself?"

"Uh, Shoto Todoroki" the boy looked up with his heterochromatic eyes.

"Oh, I've heard your name a lot. You're new, right?"

"Yeah. I've been here almost a year, but I'm still treated as the 'new kid'" Todoroki looked down at his book once more.

"You'll make friends soon" Izuku said with a small, envious sigh. Luckily for Todoroki, he had a pretty face and an intelligent head: a desired mix for popularity.

"What makes you think I haven't already made friends?" The boy cocked an eyebrow and Izuku flinched at the accusation.

"I-uh... um... ah, it's... well"

"Spit it out"

"I may have seen you around school for the past year, looking pretty lonely" he felt heat rush to his face, and he avoided all eye contact.

"Ah" the boy sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest, his gaze scrutinising Izuku "So you're a stalker"

"No!" Izuku waved his arms around, "It's not what it looks like! Y-You see, I'm lonely too and I'm a very observant person, I can't help it!"

"Whatever" sighed the boy as he continued writing with a shake of his head.

"I'm really sorry" whispered Izuku, ducking his head sheepishly.

Todoroki smiled faintly "I don't really care; I was just messing with you"

"You're mean!"

"'Y-You see, I'm lonely too and I'm a very observant person'" mimicked Todoroki in a bad and very high-pitched impersonation of Izuku's voice.

"Shut up" whined Izuku and he flopped onto the table, his face now a deep scarlet.

"Alright, I'm done" Todoroki dropped his pen and stretched his arms upwards, "How do you get home?"

"Tram" he clenched his teeth together.

"So, do I, let's walk to the stop together"

From the library to the tram stop was a ten-minute walk, that meant ten long minutes next to a sarcastic boy who now knows Izuku practically stalked him. He contemplated the pros and cons but didn't notice Todoroki scooping up Izuku's books alongside his own and leaving the library.

"Huh? Hey, my stuff!"

"Come on, the last tram is gonna leave soon" the taller boy said, striding out of the room with both of their bags.

"Unbelievable" sighed Izuku as he hurried to catch up.

Once more biting his lip, Izuku felt anxiety roll down his back like liquid as his heart raced. He cracked his knuckles, a habit he started absentmindedly doing in the last few weeks.

"You know, you shouldn't do that. Sounds gross and is probably bad for your joints" muttered Todoroki.

"Forgive the sound my knuckles make when I release gas from the synovial fluid amongst my joints" bit back Izuku.

Todoroki raised an eyebrow and Izuku gasped audibly "Oh my gosh, I didn't mean for that to come out!"

"It's fine" another small smile appeared at his lips "You're smart, aren't you?"

"I just read a lot. I think I've already said that I work in a bookshop"

"Oh, I remember you mentioning that"

It was 6pm, so when the two boys left the building, it was dark outside. Izuku breathed puffs of white cloud and buried his hands into his coat pockets.

"Stars are out" stated Todoroki quietly, and sure enough there were a couple dozen or so glittering specks in the ebony cloak of a sky.

"You know, I once read a book and it said we were in this giant dome like a glass snowball, and that the amazing white stars were really only holes in the black glass of the dome, and when you went to Heaven, the glass broke away and there was nothing but a whole sheet of star white, which is brighter than anything but doesn't hurt your eyes" he stopped and clapped a hand over his mouth. He hadn't intended to quote in front of a stranger.

Todoroki was staring at him with wide, glimmering eyes and a faint pink blush painted on his cheeks. His mouth opened, but he shut it again. Then, he reopened his mouth to ask in a hushed voice "Which book is that?"

"Just... one I picked up randomly" Izuku looked away, not wanting to reveal that the quote was from his all-time favourite book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

The pair continued walking with a respectable distance between them.

"Do you think it's going to snow this year?" asked Todoroki suddenly, the awe from earlier no more.

"Um, it snows almost every year" answered Izuku.

"It does? That's cool. I'm a foreigner, so I haven't seen a snowy Gillervide winter yet, because last year it didn't snow"

"Oh, yeah last year sucked. What sector do you live in?"

"Niikura"

"Ah" he wasn't surprised, Todoroki has nice clothing and his phone was very expensive looking.

"What sector do you live in?"

"I... I live in Akuchi"

"Oh"

That one syllable summed it up. Akuchi was the lower-class sector, where most of the criminal acts and poverty lingered. Vellir and Selci were more middle-class and were the two largest sectors and Niikura was the high-class sector, where all the rich people dwelled.

"Anyway, here's my stop. See ya"

"Bye, Midoriya

And with that, their paths never crossed again. Or, so he had thought.

"**Do you ever think the Universe fights for souls to be together? Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences"**


	2. And It Hurts Like Heaven

A/N:

There's this huge, made up city in this fanfic. It's more like a country and it homes millions of people. On a world map, it would be below Iceland and next to Scotland and would be an island. It's cold, by the way.

"Alright, I'm going now. I'll be back in a couple of hours"

"Shoto!" whined his sister, Fuyumi, "Please tell me where you're going!"

"I already told you" Shoto rolled his eyes like an ordinary teenager would, but felt a stab of guilt in his chest, "I'm seventeen, and I have a girlfriend. It's Friday night, I want to be with her"

"When can I meet her?"

"Never" he dodged past her and nipped out of the door.

As he jogged down the stairs from his apartment, he gripped his rucksack strap tighter. He wasn't sure how long he could lie for until his sister discovered the true reasons behind his nightly absences. Shoto stopped in a secluded spot in the staircase and yanked his grey shirt over his head. A wolf whistle came from behind and he jumped, turning around quickly. He's never seen anybody on this staircase before, why now?!

"Hey, hottie" a tall, blond-haired girl eyed him up without a trace of shame.

"Uh, hi. I'm sorry for stripping in the hallway… just really late for work and I need to change"

"Wanna skip work?" she fluttered her long lashed at him and slinked a step closer.

The blush deepened on his face at her hinting as he fumbled for his black roll neck sweater. He was planning to change from black joggers into loose jeans but… not today.

"No, thank you" he said in flustered tone.

"Aw, why not? You're cute, and so obviously a virgin. I can teach you"

Oh God, why won't he stop shaking? Shoto finally managed to pull his sweater on before turning back to the girl.

"Again, I decline because I'm gay and not interested. I'd rather fuck a cute boy, you know?" A picture of the adorable green-haired nerd swathed in starshine arose in his head before disappearing quickly. What? Concentrate, Shoto!

"Oh, my God. I am so, so sorry" she blushed as well and looked down, "I feel so stupid now"

"It's okay, I forgive you. I walk and change in these hallways a lot, so we might see each other again. See ya"

He scooped up his bag and continued jogging down the hallway. As soon as he left the building, Shoto ducked into an alleyway and unzipped his bag once more. Shielded in darkness, Shoto pulled a lightweight bulletproof vest and shrugged it on. Afterwards, he unrolled a mask from the depths of his bag and threw it over his head and face. This mask completely covered his bi-coloured hair and the entire top half of his face. There were eyeholes, but Shoto wore goggles on top (they looked quite owl-ish looking, but he couldn't afford anyone recognising his heterochromatic irises). His mask didn't cover his mouth and chin, which was good because Shoto rather enjoyed yelling obscenities during fights. Some part of him fantasised adding ears or something more to the mask, but he had already painted it red and black and didn't want to be called an animalistic name.

He didn't have any weapons either, because he solely fought with his Quirk… illegally. Nightburst pulled a device out of his picket, which was metal and had a large screen on. It was also expensive, but he was rich, so money didn't matter for him. The device was a tracker and a little green light marking a criminal flashed on the screen. This green light was a sword wielder and had managed to escape Nightburst on their first not so polite meeting. Fortunately, Nightburst slapped a tracker on the crazy villain when his stamina began decreasing halfway through the strenuous fight. So, he fled. Not very chivalrous, but now he was back for more.

His 'friend' was dwelling in Akuchi, so Nightburst hopped onto a tram to get to the poorer sector. As it was late, the tram was empty and Nightburst slumped on a tatty chair, waiting for the tram to stop near an alley where the green light blinked rapidly.

"Ha! You!"

In front of him was a lanky man wearing a grey top and a ripped, red scarf, and armed to the teeth with various sized knifes.

"Kid," the man said in a scratchy voice, "I beat you last time, and I'll do it again this time. Stain always wins!"

"I know your Quirk now, and I know you're crap at long-distance fighting!" he said in a daring tone, feeling ten feet tall now it was night-time.

"Vigilantes! Are you trying to be Batman or something?" spat the killer as he ran towards Nightburst.

"Batman?"

But he couldn't think as Stain flew at him with agonizing speed, spinning two long blades and yelling manically. Nightburst whipped up his right hand and produced a wall of ice, blocking Stain from him. The huge ice wall would also alert the police towards the illegal pair, but Nightburst already knew how to get away and leave Stain with the authorities.

"That's a pussy move!"

What? He watched, stunned as Stain smashed _through _the ice as if it were paper.

"How the fuck-"

But he was cut off (literally) as the two blades lashed at Nightburst, cutting a huge 'X' over his torso. Before the pain was a gasp, and then shock flooded through Nightburst and he tumbled to the floor. As Stain stretched his tongue to lick his blood, a shot rang out and smacked into Stain's upper body. The killer grabbed his left side and screeched as Nightburst glanced up to see a group of six policemen. Time to go. He stretched an arm up to create either fire or ice, but pain shook in his chest, ceasing him from effortlessly using his Quirk.

"Ugh"

"Don't move! Both of you are cornered!" yelled a pale policeman, who's pistol was shaking.

Stain made a lunge for the wall- probably to climb it- but more shots rang out and found their target. Nightburst shakily stood up, undetected as the police's attention was focused on the other man. Then, he shot out a glove of fire and melted a window in the wall. A smashing noise, and he was in a house.

"Team A follow the vigilante, Nightburst. Team B capture Stain!"

He continued running, feeling warm blood trickle down his abdominals. Nightburst dipped and dived past furniture, until he found a door, which he smashed open into another street. Running, running, his breath was becoming more laboured by the second, but instinct screamed at him to keep going. His vision became slightly blurry, making him trip down a huge flight of concrete stairs that he didn't see; he tumbled and smacked his head at the bottom. The three policemen were hopping down the steps, but he was much further in front now. He took a right, then a left, and another two rights through different alleyways and past concrete sidewalks. Finally, he dropped to the floor like a stone and knew that the police had lost him. He didn't know where he was, only that there were lines of darkened shopfronts to his left.

"I… need help" he wheezed and clutched his slippery chest.

A bright light shone in front of him, and he staggered to the door; it was green, but he left a smear of red on the handle. It opened, and he tripped over his own feet to get into the safety of the shop. A loud shriek came from inside and Nightburst stretched his arms in front of him like a zombie.

"Help, dammit"

His vision was becoming increasingly blurry, but he didn't miss the mass of green hair. Shining eyes stared at him and rushed towards him. Starlight, reflecting in those eyes, making his breath cease just like the night before. He cupped the pink cheeks with both hands.

"You" why was the world spinning? "You're pretty, like starlight"

And he fainted at the beautiful boy's feet.

**FOURTEEN_HOURS_EARLIER (8.15 AM)**

Izuku wasn't having a very good Friday. He woke up surrounded by books once more but felt happier this morning after spending Thursday evening with Todoroki and Kirishima. Stargazing with Todoroki was… weird. But, a good weird; that feeling when you've been searching for the sequel for a book, and you finally found it. Or when you find an OVA for a finished anime, and just relish in that sense of wellbeing. Complete? He shook his head, trying to erase the cringy thoughts in his head. On the tram, he tapped out the beat songs with his fingers, and sometimes hummed along to the music in his ears. People gave him a wide berth and strange looks, but his euphoria ignored them.

But that feeling disappeared when he saw Todoroki from behind. It was obviously him, due to the 'artsy?' hairdo and his general gait. Izuku bounded towards him and tugged the other boy's sleeve, making the boy turn around.

"Hey" he beamed at the boy, heart racing.

"Er, hi?"

What's with that tone?

"Uh"

Suddenly he felt cold and gloomy again.

"It's Midoriya, right? Look, last night was awesome, but I don't…"

Izuku looked up at him, but Todoroki abruptly looked away, not finishing his sentence.

"Oh" a lump formed in his throat "I see"

The bi-coloured boy looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't and walked away, leaving Izuku. Alone. He gritted his teeth and sulked to his first lesson, not noticing the pair of cruel, red eyes watching him.

Katsuki watched the dual haired one walk away from the greenete and shook his head menacingly. He was slumped against the lockers with shitty hair and racoon eyes kneeling beside him.

"Tsk" he scrunched up his nose and furrowed his eyebrows.

"What's up?" Kirishima was staring at him with his usual wide, puppy eyes.

"Him" he nodded towards the boy, who was walking away, "You know him?"

"Huh? You're talking about the green one? He's called Midoriya"

"No, the other one"

"That's Todoroki"

"He's fishy"

"Fishy?" Kirishima laughed and put his chin on Katsuki's shoulder.

"Yeah, I don't like him. Something's up with him, and I wanna know"

"You're thinking too deeply into this, Katsuki. I thought you were over this episode?"

"What episode?" growled Katsuki as he bared his teeth.

"You've been trying to hunt down Nightburst ever since he popped up last year. I bet he isn't even in our age group, probably some middle-aged man living in Vellir" Kirishima shook his head, still on Katsuki's shoulder.

"Ei, I mean it. You know him?"

"Yeah…"

"Both of them? Midoriya and Todoroki?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I need that nerd to bring Todoroki to us" he still stared forward, where the Todoroki stood minutes ago.

"What are you talking about?" Kirishima lifted his head and stared at Katsuki.

"Ugh, Kiri. Don't be so thick. We love you, but please think" groaned Mina Ashido, "Bakugo wants to know Todoroki, but he thinks Todo won't join our group without Midoriya"

"Why, though? He hates Midoriya!"

"He doesn't" Katsuki squinted, still staring ahead, "if we invite Midoriya into our gang and invite Todoroki afterwards, then Half and Half will join us. Then I'll be able to watch him. I've been suspecting of him being Nightburst for weeks, but I need to be closer"

"So, you're gonna use Midoriya for bait?" Mina grinned at him, "I like ya thinking!"

Kirishima frowned, "I don't like it. Seems manipulative"

"I'll spilt the reward with you. For capturing Nightburst, I mean. I need you, Ei. Only you can do this"

"What's the plan?" sighed Kirishima.

Katsuki pecked Kirishima on the cheek "Thank you"

Izuku slumped on the lunch table, feeling rejection settle in his heart. He had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch but wasn't feeling in the mood to eat.

"Yo, Midoriya!"

A bright ball of red and suddenly Kirishima was directly opposite him, grinning with his sharp teeth.

"Hey, Kirishima" Izuku tried to smile, but his mood couldn't be lifted.

"I saw you eating alone, and I felt bad! I don't want a fellow friend eating alone, man!"

"Friend?" echoed Izuku.

"Yup, of course! Anyway, do ya wanna join us for lunch? I'm sitting with my pals over there" he gestured towards a table to Izuku's right, where another four students sat.

"Yeah, okay!" Izuku smiled a genuine smile, new friends!

After packing up his lunch, Kirishima guided Izuku to the bench where the rest of the group sat.

"Hey, I'm Mina" smiled a pretty girl with pink hair and black pupils. She had bright red lipstick on, and her nails were painted a shiny red as well.

"Hi" shyly answered Izuku.

"Hiya! My name's Sero!" a boy with straight black hair stuck his hand out, and Izuku politely shook it.

"I'm Kaminari" smiled a yellow-haired boy with a black zigzag passing through it.

"Hi, Kaminari"

"And this is my main bro, Bakugo!" Kirishima gestured to a boy sitting next to Mina.

This boy was pretty, with spiky, ash-blond hair and glistening, scarlet eyes. Although, something dark lurked beneath Bakugo's beauty, and Izuku shied away from him with a faint smile.

"Hey" Bakugo nudged Kirishima, who was comfortably in between Bakugo and Mina, opposite Izuku.

The beautiful boy glanced across the hall and Kirishima followed his gaze to settle upon a figure in the room. Todoroki. Izuku frowned, why were they staring at Todoroki? Bakugo lowered his eyes and nodded to his redhead friend.

"Do you know him?" blurted out Izuku, regretting it as the student's attention was back on him.

"Me, Bakugo and him used to be friends!" grinned Kirishima, "But we fell apart a couple of months ago, and Bakugo wants to be friends with him again. Trouble is, he's too shy, so I'm gonna talk to him"

"Hey!" growled Bakugo.

Kirishima leapt up as if he was on fire and yelled "Todoroki! Come sit with us!"

The bi-coloured boy glanced at Izuku and was about to head towards him until a brunette girl with her hair swept up into a bun grabbed Todoroki's arm and began quickly talking to him, pulling him away from Bakugo's group.

"Tsk. Fucking Uraraka thinks she's so heroic" muttered Bakugo.

Kirishima froze, eyes wide. Then, he chuckled and rubbed the nape of his neck.

"Ah, don't worry. I'll try tomorrow?"

"Whatever" Bakugo looked away and again to Todoroki, who was being led out of the Hall by Uraraka.

Sweat tricked down Izuku's back: something felt odd. "Oh! I have a pile of homework I need to do in the Library" and with that, Izuku rushed off, away from Bakugo's hot glares and Kirishima's fidgeting.

As soon as he left the hall, an arm snatched his wrist and yanked him into a nearby storage room.

"Hey!" he yelled, but a hand clapped over his mouth. He looked up to see the same girl from earlier, called Uraraka, behind him. He pulled her hand away from his mouth, seething "Look, I don't know _what's _going on, but keep me the fuck out of it!"

"You're already in it!" snapped the girl, "Sorry to disrupt your sunshiny life, but shit's happening and I'm the poor fool who has to stop it! Alright? So, stop struggling and let me help you!"

"Fine" growled Izuku, "But tell me everything!"

"I don't have enough time right now" Uraraka rolled her eyes, "But, stay away from Bakugo and the rest of his gang. Especially Kirishima, actually"

"Why?" whined Izuku, "I finally make friends, and you're telling me to stay away!"

"They're controlling you. Trust me, I know"

"Why?"

"Why, why, why! You're like a fucking toddler! I need to go; I'll tell you later"

Izuku grinned childishly, "Why?"

Uraraka pointed to the door, "Leave"

"Ugh, fine!" he stomped to the door, "But, if Kirishima talks to me again, I'm not just gonna walk away, because that's rude! And I'm not good at being rude like you"

"Whatever enjoy get manipulated. I don't care. But, if you like Nightburst, then I suggest following me"

"Nightburst?"

"Out"

After that dramatic lunchtime, Izuku didn't expect a boring afternoon filled with even more tedious lessons. When the bell finally rang, he jumped on the tram for an evening shift at his bookshop. A dull buzz coursed through his veins at the idea of spending the next two days at his beloved bookshop.

He unlocked and opened the door, and the smell of musty pages hit him like a wall, and he sighed at the heavenly smell. Then, he settled down with about a thousand books and… fell asleep into a dreamless slumber. Bang! Izuku shot awake with the sound of the bookshop door slamming shut. He let out an unmanly shriek at the sight of a dark figure covered in scarlet blood.

"Oh, shit!" he squeaked, standing up and gliding over to the figure in a state of urgency.

"Help, dammit" muttered the person.

Then, the person did an unexpected thing. He held Izuku's freckled cheeks tenderly with both hands, and whispered,

"You… You're pretty, like starlight"

What? But the figure collapsed, and all thoughts disappeared from Izuku's head. He screamed again and ran for the first aid kit.


	3. There's Ghosts In My House

**a/n: if people wonder why this updated so quick it's because I spend an entire two days and one night on it lol **

"Oh my god" groaned Izuku for what seemed like the millionth time.

This was because there was an unconscious, illegal vigilante laying on his counter, covered in dry blood and bandages. He had unceremoniously hauled the injured vigilante onto the counter with the little strength he had and ripped off the bloodied sweater. Then, using the basic first aid his mother had taught him, he covered his chest in close-fitting bandages in order to prevent more blood loss. He rubbed his face and sighed, this was the best he could do until the figure woke up. Glancing at the man, Izuku bit his lip for the umpteenth time. The mask. It was so tempting to tear off the coverage and discover the identity of the secret hero and spin off random questions to him. Alas, Izuku knew he couldn't unravel the man's secrets to the world; that would be cruel, and he couldn't bring himself to invade in someone else's privacy. Izuku's body ached for sleep: it was past midnight and it had been two hours since his 'customer' had arrived.

"Water"

He almost jumped out of his skin to see a black and red mask looking his way.

"Sure" he said coldly, and pushed a glass of water towards the man, already decided that he was going to play a cool, silent character in this story.

The vigilante sipped it slowly, keeping his eyes (well, goggles) trained on Izuku, who didn't dare break the intense glare. Nightburst cleared his throat.

"Thanks, for the water and this" he waved a hand to his bandaged chest.

Izuku didn't answer, only pursed his lips.

"Got a name?" continued Nightburst.

More silence. It was becoming increasingly more awkward, and the uncomfortable feeling was almost tangible. However, Izuku craved this villainous atmosphere.

"Midoriya Izuku" said the vigilante.

"Huh?! How did you know my name?" demanded Izuku in a shrill voice. Was he a stalker? Was this episode planned?

"Your nametag"

He looked down at his chest, and sure enough there was a 'Hello! My name's Midoriya Izuku' badge on his checked shirt. Fucking uniforms. Izuku rapidly crossed his arms and felt his face flame.

"What's your name, then?" he said, trying to keep his voice from wobbling with anxiety.

"I think you people call me Nightburst" the dark man had settled back on the counter, staring at the cream ceiling.

"Your real one" snapped Izuku.

"And, pray tell, why would I tell you that?"

"I just saved your life!" Izuku's arms flung from his chest to his sides, and his fists were clenched. He really wasn't in the mood for this bullshit.

"And that gives you the right to know my secret identity? Yeah, sorry, Starshine, but that's never gonna happen" Nightburst gave a faint huff of sarcastic amusing.

"Starshine?" Izuku bit back infuriatingly, "What's with that nickname?"

The only answer he received was a cruel chuckle. Becoming increasingly flustered, Izuku shouted,

"You wear that mask because you're a coward!"

This struck a nerve. Nightburst sat up and glared at Izuku in the face, "A coward, huh? You sit there on your arse, not even bothering to lock this damn bookshop whilst criminals are running rampant throughout the city?"

"I- sorry-" he tried to interrupt, but the vigilante continued his rant.

"Maybe its fucking good I wear this mask! Everybody judges each other, don't they? You get someone with glasses, and everybody assumes they're smart. You get someone who's short, and everyone thinks they can be pushed around. Someone who's good-looking, and everyone thinks they're dateable! What gave people the right to judge others purely on looks? So, you can judge me on my god damn personality instead of my face, like an ordinary person should be expected to do!"

"Well, your personality isn't doing that great right now, funnily enough!" contradicted Izuku, but then he paused and spoke again, in a softer tone, "But I get your point. I'm sorry for demanding something so personal to you"

"It's… okay, I guess. I should've expected it" Nightburst turns away from him and looks bashfully at the numerous stacks of books.

Izuku stared at him, as if he was a spectacular specimen of mankind.

"Uh, Midoriya?"

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Stop staring at me"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Nightburst! It's just… you're heroic and I respect your morals" Well, the 'cool guy' plan had flown out of the window.

"Thanks, but… don't call me that"

"What? Nightburst?"

"Yeah, the name's cool but it just feels wrong. Like you're a random fan who I'd forget instantly. You're already more than that, you saved my life"

"Well…. What should I call you, then?"

"Name me" Midoriya felt his face heat again.

"Name you?"

"Yeah, anything. Just don't make it an annoying nickname"

"Kai Kizoku" the name popped in his head, but it felt right.

"That's… an awesome name" Kai smiled faintly, and Izuku felt a warmth seep through his chest.

"What are we going to do, Kai?" whispered Izuku, the name felt foreign on his lips, but he relished the feeling.

"What do you mean?" Kai solemnly whispered back.

"How did you get here? Were you attacked? Do you even have a home?"

"Uh… yeah, I was chased by a murderer called Stain. He attacked me and I got cut, the police came but I managed to run away. And I have a home, one I should be in as my sister is going to be freaking out right now"

"You have a sister? Does she know about…" he gestured at Kai's costume, "This?"

"No" the answer was short, but a large quantity of regret was concealed behind it.

"Okay, so what about your injury? I know some basic first aid, but that's not enough. It could re-open and get infected. Oh god, you could get blood poisoning, and it would slowly and painfully kill you. The sword or whatever cut you was probably unclean, it wouldn't have been disinfected, so you could have bacteria in the cut. You could _die. _What if you did die? You're a legend, you can't die! It would be all my fault-"

"Midoriya. Calm down!" barked Kai.

"I can't! I don't know what to do"

"I do!" snapped Kai.

"Oh" Izuku's breathing slowed, "What is it?"

"I know someone with a healing quirk, she's my friend and she's healed major wounds before" Kai sighed and proceeded to calm down Izuku, "But my colleagues all live in Vellir, and that's an hour's tram ride"

"You have colleagues?" squeaked Izuku. More heroes! He jumped up and down, the earlier panic vanished.

"Uh, yeah? I'll just go to them, get patched up and find another mission, since the police seemed to have taken care of Stain"

"I wanna come!" whined Izuku.

"What?" spluttered Kai, he didn't even know the kid!

"You heard me, I want to come with you and meet your vigilante friends. Then I could find out more hero information, and maybe get autographs"

"They're not friends… more like acquaintances"

"Whatever you call them, I just want to meet more vigilantes like you"

"First of, no. Second, why?"

"Because I love heroes. Back in the day, before I was born, they were everywhere. Someone would be in danger, and BAM, there's a hero to save the day! I've seen leaked footage of heroes doing their stuff, and I think it's awesome. Until the Quirk ban happened, and heroes are gone"

"Yeah" Kai's mouth pinched into a thin line, "Vigilantes are here… but it's not enough. We don't have enough funds or people. Plus, we only work at night-time because it's harder to get caught"

"You're like Batman" Izuku nodded slowly.

"Bat- why does everyone compare me to Batman?!"

"So" Izuku was on the edge of his rickety seat, as if he was about to soar into the sky. Meanwhile, Kai was still laid on the counter, looking weary, "How many are there of you?"

"Uh, so you've heard of Arbitrium, right?"

"Yeah" Izuku pumped a fist into the air, "He's amazing! Arbitrium, the legendary mind controller who works in pure stealth"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, he's also a jobless coffee addict who has a weakness for cats, but whatever floats your boat I guess"

Izuku ignored his dry remark, "Who else?"

"And… Kurokku Mutante, also known as KuMu?"

Izuku let out a loud gasp, "You know her? Damn, she's awesome too! KuMu, the vigilante who can control time!"

"Yeah, her Quirk is really restricted, because of the Laws of the Universe. Also, she's a complete weeb and is practically glued to a screen all the time"

"Do you guys… hang out?" Izuku whispered, inching closer to Kai with eyes filled with wonder.

"Okay, Starshine, we don't go on super cool vigilante lunch dates if that's what you're thinking. Arbitrium ignores everyone and no ones seen him in months, except villains. We aren't close because most of us are busy, doing their jobs"

"Who else is there? Do you have someone behind a computer, giving you directions?"

"Argh, stop acting like an annoying fanboy. I'm tired"

"Can I meet your vigilante friends?"

"No way. Go to sleep now" muttered Kai.

"Hey! It's my bookshop, I should be dishing out the orders" complained Izuku, but his mind ached for sleep. "Alright, goodnight"

Then, he made a nest of blankets and pillows on the floor, curled into them like a cat, and fell straight asleep.

The earthy smell of rain drifted up her nose, and Ochako sighed repeatedly. Her hair was damp from the continuous drizzle that ran through the air that night. Streetlamps reflected on the pavement and the only noise on the deserted street was her shoes tapping against concrete. A figure was silhouetted against the obnoxious yellow glare and Ochako stopped in her tracks, unable to see visible through the curtain of rain.

"Hitoshi?" she whispered into the dark.

"You know what to call me" growled the person.

"Sorry, Arbitrium. I just needed to see you" she pleaded.

"I'm a busy person, Uraraka. What is it?"

"It's Bakugo, I'm afraid he's getting deeper into our business"

"Just because you have a psychotic ex-boyfriend with an overly large ego strutting around doesn't mean there's no immediate danger!" snapped Arbitrium.

"I mean it! I know all your identities, remember? And he's getting closer to Nightburst by the second" Ochako felt herself shivering but clenched her fists defensively. She wasn't prepared to show weakness in front of the aloof character.

"Remember your job" he was suddenly in front of her, holding her jaw with one raven, gloved hand. Ochako saw the ghostly sheen of his bone white mask as Arbitrium continued speaking, "You track and report"

"That's what I'm doing!" she retorted, "I've tracked Katsuki Bakugo discovering more into our business, and now I'm reporting that to you"

"No, that's not what I meant" his grip on her jaw tightened, "I'm talking about how you cornered one of our colleagues in a public space"

Ochako spluttered and pushed Arbitrium away from her.

"You didn't think I don't know?" he said stonily, "Poor, naïve girl. I have many people working underneath me, and if I ever hear that you spoke to another vigilante in broad public then you will be _very _sorry. Be more careful, or you'll regret it"

"But I needed to!"

"How? You made it obvious something was going on" growled Arbitrium.

"Bakugo was planning to confront Nightburst. The real Nightburst, he guessed correctly for once! I had to do _something_"

"You didn't have to do _anything!_ Nightburst is a vigilante, I trust him to be able to bluff his way out of an amateur's interrogations"

"Oh" she bit her lip, feeling stupid, "What should I do?"

"What did you do?" he loomed over her, like an obsidian lamppost.

"I pulled Nightburst away from Bakugo, and I confronted another student to stay away from Bakugo" Ochako squeezed her eyes shut, awaiting her punishment.

"That was a stupid move. Now you got another student involved who can easily figure out Nightburst's identity. Don't underestimate people. Just track and report, I can deal with Bakugo if he gets too close"

"I know, but you shouldn't overestimate them, either! Maybe you're _too _suspicious" she stopped short: she was planning to contradict him further, until a fresh blanket washed over her mind, "Yes, sir" she said obediently.

"Good. Suspicion keeps us vigilantes alive, so stay out trouble" Arbitrium released his control on her mind.

Afterwards, he span on his heel and stalked away, like a slinking panther. She gritted her teeth and went back the way she came, feeling frustrated with the current predicament.

Something poked his cheek. Then, again but harder this time.

"Fuck off" growled Izuku to whatever was trying to wake him up.

"That's kinda rude, Starshine" a voice said in a deadpanned tone.

"Hah?" Izuku sat bolt upright and yelped at the sight of a vigilante next to him.

"I need to leave. Can I use this jumper of yours?" Kai held up a pale orange, knitted jumper which Izuku hardly wore as it was too big for him,

"What?" something felt heavy in his chest, but he knew the vigilante had to go, "Uh, okay. You can keep the jumper as a gift, I don't wear it"

"Thank you for saving my life, Midoriya. I really appreciate it. And thank you for the jumper and kindness" Kai ducked his head, but Izuku spied a small smile on the exposed lips.

"It's okay. Make sure you get healed by your vigilante friend" Izuku stared directly into where Kai's eyes should be, but he was only met with the red tinted goggles.

"I will. Don't worry about me" Kai patted Izuku's green curls twice and stood up, pulling the jumper over his head.

"See ya" Izuku said wistfully, even though he won't see the vigilante again.

And with another small smile, Kai opened the khaki door of the bookshop, and exited through it. Izuku blinked back tears, he didn't know why he was so emotional about never seeing the injured man again, all he knew was that he felt so connected to him and ached for his presence again. Izuku stood up, raising his arms above his head and stretching his aching muscles. Pulling his shirt sleeves further down his arms, Izuku pattered to the back kitchen to make a coffee, which he needed after the long night. Ultimately, after pushing his throbbing body to the kitchen, something caught his sharp eye.

"What… the" he frowned and walked towards the counter which Kai slept on the night before.

On it was a device the size of his palm, made of metal with a long screen and a few worn buttons on. Two metal rods were sticking out of the top like antennas, and Izuku frowned. What is this? He supposed it was a very important gadget left by Kai, but he had no idea what it did. The screen showed a blue arrow which moved every time he did, a blinking green light not far from his blue arrow, and the background which looked like a street map.

"A GPS device?" he questioned.

Izuku guessed the blue arrow was him, as that was obvious. The map was easily recognisable Akuchi, but the green light?

"I'm assuming its someone else, as it's moving around" he mumbled to himself, "Maybe it's another vigilante, or something in a vigilante base so he wouldn't get lost? If I follow it, I could give it to another vigilante, and they could pass it on to Kai because it's clearly important"

What he didn't think was the green light was a ruthless killer who just so managed to escape the police.


	4. Why Do I Let Myself Dream Like This?

**(a/n) can I quickly say when the POV is 'Shoto', then the vigilante mask is off and when the POV is 'Nightburst' the mask is on**

Shrugging on a green hoodie and an old pair of red trainers which he used to love when he was 15, Izuku left the safety of the bookshop. The green light was drawing away slowly, mocking his desperation to find it.

"Stay still" he whined at the light as it flashed into yet another alleyway. Whoever or whatever it was certainly on the move.

At a gentle jog, he stalked the green light until he was one alleyway away from it. One corner, and Izuku will meet the person or thing that may reveal Kai's whereabouts. He clearly needed this important device, so it was Izuku's job to return the equipment to the rightful owner instead of keeping it hidden. Taking a deep breath, he turned around the corner. But what he saw wasn't what he expected. It was much worse.

~~Two hours earlier~~

"Shoto Todoroki!"

As soon as he opened the door, he was immediately hounded by his sister. He considered taking the window, but she would've found him sooner or later. Shoto growled loudly and turned to her, wincing because the pain in his chest was blossoming quicker and quicker. He felt warm liquid seep down his stomach and gritted his teeth. Noticing his awkward movements, Fuyumi stopped suddenly and stared, mouth open, at him.

"Tell me what's going on. Right now, or I'm telling Mum"

"Don't get her involved" he growled and looked down. Red was slowly staining Izuku's jumper and Shoto felt guilt grip him.

"There is no girlfriend, is there? You've been lying to me for years, concealing wounds, haven't you?"

"Can't you at lease help?" he snarled, gesturing to his wound.

Tears filled her eyes, "What's going on, Shoto?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Yes, it is!" She shrieked, "We're in Gillervide _together_! I'm the only family you have right now"

"We're only in Gillervide because of that bastard" he roared, feeling his chest sting once more, but ignoring it.

"I understand if you miss France, but this isn't right! Sneaking out and coming back covered in cuts for the past year? That's not right"

"You won't understand" he sighed and shook his head, the earlier rage vanished, "I'm going"

"If you leave, I'm calling Mum" threatened Fuyumi.

"No, you won't," he counteracted, "You're scared of her"

And with that parting statement, he slammed the door shut behind him, not hearing his sister's exasperated sobs.

He stomped down the steps and arrived at a door with the number 7 on it. Shoto politely knocked and it opened immediately.

"Oh, it's the hottie" a pair of vaguely familiar chocolate brown eyes framed with long eyelashes blinked at him.

"Know any first aid?" he lifted the sunset orange jumper up to revel the bloodied bandages.

"Ouch. Thankfully, I went through some training. Come in" she opened the door to let him in, and he gratefully stepped through.

"So, what's your name?"

"Camie. What's yours?" she led him through to her kitchen and opened a cupboard, rummaging through it with her manicured nails.

"Todoroki. What did you do First Aid for?"

"I trained to join the army." Camie continued searching through the cupboard, "But got dismissed"

"What happened?" Shoto sat down at a wooden table and rested his chin on his palm after dumping his rucksack on the floor.

"I was doing great, until a criminal managed to forge my signature and got into trouble with it. Buying illegal weaponry and stuff like that with my name. The case stopped six months ago with insufficient evidence and I was kicked out of the army" Camie sighed and pulled out a green First Aid box, "What I would do to be back there again"

"I'm sorry to hear that"

"What happened to you, then? How could someone get cut up so bad like that?"

"Ah, it's a long and complicated story"

He pulled off his orange jumper and she pulled out some antiseptic wipes.

"Actually, I don't think it's that complicated"

"What do you mean? Ah, that stings!"

"Sorry, but it needs to be clean. I mean, you want to help people, right?" she suddenly looked straight into his eyes, but Shoto cowardly broke the eye contact.

"I don't understand"

"Save it. You're Nightburst"

His breath hitched in his throat, but Shoto quickly turned it into a laugh, "Nightburst? Don't be absurd, I couldn't throw a good punch even if my life depended on it!"

Camie held her head in her hands, "Oh, my God. You're so shit at lying, you really need to work on that. Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone. Trust me, I support Nightburst and won't do anything to jeopardise the safety of Gillervide"

"How… how did you find out?"

"A year of you changing in front of my door every night. Yeah, it became a little obvious. You can use my apartment to change, by the way"

"I don't know what to do, though" he held his breath as she started wrapping bandages around his torso, "Is what I'm doing even right? Lying to my sister every day to punch up bad people, I mean"

"Dude, you and the other vigilantes are stepping up to Endeavor and the anti-heroes. You save so, so many. I wanted to do something when the heroes were banned, but I was too scared. What your team is doing is awesome and you can't stop justice"

"I know" he rubbed his face, "But, my dad is Endeavor and my sister is really close to discovering my secret"

"Is she supporting him?"

"No way, we both hate him, so he shipped us to Gillervide"

"Then I think she'll totally dig the Nightburst thing" Camie laughed, and gently punched Shoto in the arm. "Where do you get your awesome gear from? I've been dying to know"

"There's actually a lot of vigilantes out there. I know about ten people: three at the computers, two making equipment, two working undercover, a girl in healing, another two in the field and this weird guy who I don't understand. So, there's a big team and we all pull together to help each other out. There could be more people that I don't know about"

"Man, that's so cool! Do you have any gadgets on you right now?" she grinned excitedly and Shoto returned the enthusiasm.

"Yeah, actually. I should have this neat tracker on me right now" he patted his back pocket, only to find it empty. "That's weird, I'm sure it was in there"

Frowning, he picked up his rucksack and rummaged through it, only for there to be no tracking device.

"I must have left it" he stilled. The bookshop was a place where he was constantly anxious in front of Izuku Midoriya's green, shining eyes. He half longed to see the nerd again, half wanted to run from him.

"Left what?" she sat up, cocking her head and letting her dirty blond hair tumble off her shoulders.

"A tracking device, I need to go!" Shoto suddenly jumped up and yanked the jumper over his head.

"Where did you leave it?"

"A bookshop. I have to go, thank you so much for the help!" he dashed out of the door and ran down the metal steps two at a time.

Shoto rode the train to Akuchi, nibbling his nails and ignoring the confused looks to his frenzied state. Was time slowing down? He ached to leap out of the tram and sprint to the bookshop but knew the tram would be longer. Pacing backwards and forwards, tapping his fingers, a thin woman with green hair smiled at him kindly and said,

"Maybe you should sit and calm down"

He shook and clenched his fists, "I'm worried, Miss"

"It's going to be okay, whatever it is" her green eyes shone under heavy shadows.

"Someone could end up really hurt, or he could just be asleep. But, it's my fault for leaving him, you see" sweat still ran down his forehead and the ache to run lingered.

"Do you care for him?"

"I hardly know him" he shook his head at the woman.

"That's not the question. I asked if you care about him"

"Yes. I wish I never left him alone"

"Then, either go to him, wake him up and apologise. Or, go save him"

"Yeah" he nodded, then held a hand to his mouth, "What if I'm too late, and he's really hurt?"

"Fix him. Wounds heal, right?"

It was then when he noticed the green haired woman's clothes: the official cobalt Doctor/Nurse outfit for Gillervide. Shoto nodded slowly, comforted by her warm smile. The tram arrived in the centre of Akuchi. With a nod of acknowledgement to the woman, Shoto stepped off the bus and jogged to Izuku's bookshop. Just before he entered through the door, Shoto scouted for any onlookers in the street, but it was desolate. He pulled the mask over his head, adjusted it, and entered through the worn, khaki door.

The heavenly smell of old books rose up his nose, and Nightburst took a deep breath before yelling,

"Midoriya?" into the open.

"Kai!" squeaked a voice, and a ball of green ran towards him, laughing and shining.

"I'm sorry I suddenly left, Izuku"

The eyes sparked like they did the first time they met. His eyes: sometimes a fiery shine, sometimes excited, but shimmering nevertheless in the dark world of his.

"It's okay, Shoto"

But that never happened. Instead, Nightburst was greeted with silence and the disappointment that the Midoriya just then was an illusion.

"Midoriya? Are you asleep?"

He saw Midoriya everywhere, curled up and sleeping on the carpet, cutting bandages whilst talking nonstop, squeaking about vigilantes.

"Starshine, starshine" he muttered, but the green haired boy wasn't in his favourite bookshop.

"Okay, then. I'll just have to find you"

Nightburst strolled over to the counter where he laid the night before and observed that his tracking device wasn't there. A few specks of blood littered the counter and Shoto rubbed at one with his forefinger.

"So, you're not in the bookshop… did you follow the light?"

He remembered Stain, the crazy knife-wielder, battling the police before Nightburst was chased away by the other half of the police. He remembered running wildly until he found his sanctuary, but he didn't remember Stain being captured. But that could only mean…

"Oh, shit"

He span on his heel and dashed out onto the street, yelling the same name over and over again.

Darkness curled round his vision, but the same man shrieked at Izuku.

"Get out of here, kid!"

"Sir? Do you… know the owner of this? It led to you" he held up the tracker, as if asking for conformation.

"No! Fuck- wait. That boy… he was holding that too. I almost got taken in because of that pipsqueak! You know him, right"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Then I'll break your pretty face and let him watch you bleed to death!"

In an instant, the man was running at Izuku whilst spinning his flashiest sword. He flinched away, but a fiery line exploded across his arm and Izuku yelped with pain, feeling blood swarm around the wound. Laughter and taunts rang around his ears; he didn't know whether they were Stain or himself. He fell to the floor, frozen with fear as his skin was sliced by the murderer.

"Leave me alone!" he cried out, feeling the tracker crunch under the killer's heel.

"This is your friend's fault. He's doing this to you. If he stayed out of my business, your blood wouldn't be running away from you"

And it was. Cascading in a river, coating the cobbles and painting the street a brilliant scarlet. If it wasn't his blood, Izuku would have thought the picture was beautiful, like Katsuki's eyes or the blood that ran down his wrist once upon a time. Suddenly, heat wracked through his body and his eyesight was illuminated. Izuku glanced up to see fire coiling and licking Stain's body. The snake danced with the killer and a furious salsa appeared before his eyes.

"Get away from him!" barked a voice.

"You!"

All Izuku could see was a deep, sunset red. He gently traced his fingers into his blood, feeling it tumble through his fingers like elegant silk.

"Pretty" he whispered, "Blood, ink and madness. The story of my fragile existence, return me to the creator, and request a full refund, without a second thought or delay, because you paid way too much, more than what I'm really worth" he shut his eyes after reciting the poem.

A dull thud, and Kai was flung against the brick wall like a doll. Would his head crack open, like fragile china? The vigilante shakily rose to his feet, and emitted a cluster of ice, smashed to shards by a swift swing of Stain's sword.

"The conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist!" quoted Izuku with a shriek as he glared at the shards of ice innocently resting amongst the bloodied cobbles, making a concoction of Kai's ice and Izuku's blood,

He stood up and landed a furious punch on Stain's jaw in lightning speed, before being shoved to the ground again.

"What the fuck are you talking about, freak?" a boot landed in his skull, "Let me beat some sense into you"

"Stop" said a cool voice.

The boot followed the command and Izuku allowed himself to reopen his eyes.

"Step away and put your hands on the wall"

Did ice drip off his tongue? Was this frost dampening the air? The voice was so cold and eerie that Izuku shuddered.

"Walk to the police station, and hand yourself in"

"Dickhead deserves it" spat another husky voice, and Izuku's ears pricked at Kai, his saviour.

Strong arms wrapped around his body and lifted him up as if he were a feather. Maybe he was, since he was so skinny and weak. He buried into the warmth eagerly.

"I'm cold, my head hurts" he heard himself whimper.

"It's okay, I'm gonna get you healed" the husky voice replied.

"They won't shut up; sometimes want to sleep and be free"

"What do you mean?" the voice was leaking with worry.

"Shh, I used to want to sleep all the time. But now? I have something to wake up for"

"Midoriya?"

Red swarmed his vision as Izuku lost consciousness.


	5. My Feelings Are Fatal

**a/n : I gave poor Izuku a break :/**

He was so warm, smothered in downy feathers and floating calmly. A dull throb echoed in the back of his mind, but he ignored it as the lulls of heat called for him. The very thought of opening his eyes was banished from the planes of his mind as comfort smothered him.

"Hey" said a calm, female voice, "Wake up now"

If he ignored it, the voice should go.

"Come on, Green" apparently not.

An annoyed groan erupted from his mouth and vibrated through his bones, indicating to the voice that he did not _want _to wake up and wasn't planning to get up. Until the person ripped the duvet off Izuku, exposing him to the winter chill.

"No, come back" whined Izuku as he lamely stretched his arms in a weak attempt to retrieve the thick blanket.

"It's been ages now"

He groggily opened his eyes to see a woman leaning over him and wearing a starched lab coat.

"Who are you?" his voice rasped from lack of water.

"I'm Ninurta, and I heal people. My grandmother used to heal the pros way back when, and she was super famous! The heroes wouldn't have been able to survive without her, so I'm carrying on the healing power for vigilantes"

Underneath the lab coat, Izuku noticed her t-shirt had a huge picture of a horned skull below the black words 'Slipknot'. She also had ripped jeans and huge, black boots. Her hair was auburn, curly and short around the ears, and her eyes were framed with huge eyelashes behind large glasses. Izuku got a punk-plus-nerd vibe from her but liked her unique style.

"That's cool, I like how you followed your grandma. Now, where am I?"

"Ah," Ninurta kissed her teeth, "You see, Nightburst warned me that you're quite the stubborn type. Ya get what I mean?"

"No, I don't" Izuku frowned.

"Well… you're at the vigilante base right now to get healed from the Stain attack"

Izuku sat bolt upright, "I need to meet people! Like, learn about morals… and Quirks… and techniques!"

"He said you'd fanboy over this," Ninurta slowly shook her head, making curls bounce around head.

"What do you mean?"

"Sadly, the entire base except from this room is top secret, and you can't see anything past this door. Thankfully, my Quirk has sedation powers so I can easily heal a really wounded person"

Izuku laughed dryly, threat and challenge pouring off his voice, "You wouldn't sedate me"

"Please don't hate me, I rather like you"

And with that parting sentence, the curly-haired girl touched his arm which triggered a sleepy haze across his vision.

"Is he safe now?" was the first thing that came out of Shoto's mouth when he saw Ninurta.

"Greenbean is safe in the bookshop" she did a mock salute and grinned widely, but then turned more serious , "He was pretty banged up, you know"

"I know" Shoto pressed his lips together and ran a palm over his face, "I wish I got there sooner"

"Don't go blaming yourself for it" Ninurta put her hands on her hips, "It was purely an accident, and the only one to blame is Stain. Anyway, how do you know him?"

Ninurta was one of the few who knows Shoto's real identity, as she was the healer for the entire vigilante base: an important asset. As well as being entirely loyal, she's fun, good at giving advice and is able to keep a secret which was helpful as she knows everyone's identity- a secret that was life-changing if it were found out. Luckily, she's nice to chat to and was one of the few who managed to get Shoto/Nightburst to talk. Her Quirk was healing and was activated by kissing the area of the person's body which was injured; she also was able to sedate people by touching them with her pinkie. The healing part of her Quirk was from her mother's side, and the sedative part was from her father's.

"He's this kid from my school, and I met him as both Todoroki and Nightburst"

"That's risky, man"

"I know, but both of them were coincidences. And Bakugo is sniffing round me again and is bringing Midoriya into this whole business. Sometimes, I see the cogs working in his head, and I'm worried what he's thinking behind those red eyes"

"What are you going to do?"

"I distanced myself from Midoriya at school like everybody else, but he took it differently. Instead of ignoring me and walking away, he looked really, really sad for a moment"

"And you've just distanced him again as Nightburst, haven't you?"

"Yes" he ducked his head from Ninurta's piercing gaze.

"Shoto" she placed a hand on his arm, "I know you don't want your secret revealed, but I don't think ignoring everyone is a good way to go. As well as you are lonely, you're also making yourself look suspicious"

"What should I do, though?"

"Well, you either need to apologise to him as Shoto or Nightburst"

"Okay" he rubbed his face again after she moved her hand to rest underneath her jaw.

"Stop worrying, you're going to get an ulcer"

"I wouldn't want you to heal that"

Her tinkling laughter gave Shoto a spark of hope. Maybe he should talk to Midoriya.

Izuku woke up a couple of hours later in his bookshop, feeling disorientated and achy. He sat up slowly, his head felt as though it was stuffed with cotton wool and picked up a notepad left next to him.

**Hey, Midoriya. I'm sorry for the incident and I could've done better for you after you saved my life. You was saved by Arbitrium and Stain is now in custody. I immediately took you to the vigilante base where you was treated by Ninurta who you've just met. Anyway, I'm sorry for everything that happened, and I wish your safety. Thank you for saving me. -Kai**

An unidentifiable screech left his throat as he threw the notebook against a beige wall.

"You were supposed to come back! Why…" tears fell down his cheeks and he curled up into a ball, "Why did you have to leave me again?"

Sobs racked through his body, and he kept throwing random objects around the room: a pillow, a book, another book. The pleasure of venting his never-ending anger as the world was addictive, and he felt a buzz every time he wrecked another thing. It wasn't until he threw an empty mug against a wall that he stopped and panted.

"A fucking hero you are" he seethed as he swept up white shards of china.

He'd been ditched multiple times by friends and family, but he couldn't help but hope for this time to be different than the norm. Someone he could stick by with, talk with, maybe even laugh with. Not even his mother talked to him anymore and cared more for her job.

"Nah," he shook his head quickly, "She's working for you and the house. I should be checking up on her like a good son"

Wiping his tears and blowing his nose, Izuku searched for a coat and shoes. Once he'd found them, he locked up (after Kai's angry warning) and jogged to the nearest tram station. He then pulled out a phone and started texting his mother with perfect grammar because acronyms annoyed him.

I**zuku – Hey, mum. Sorry for staying all day and night, I probably worried you. I'm on my way home.**

**Mum – its ok and im home cooking :) i managed 2 get time off for next weekend btw. a whole day we can go somewhere 2gether **

**Izuku – Sure! /(^A^)/ see ya in a bit.**

His mum clearly didn't bother with grammar just like the rest of the Universe didn't, either.

Not long after, Izuku pulled a key out of his back pocket and unlocked the wooden, white door. A smell of cooking mixed with air freshener wafted up his nose and Izuku breathed deeply.

"I'm home!" he called loudly.

"Hey, Izu! How was the bookshop?"

"Yeah, it was cool" he sat down at the kitchen stool behind his mother and watched her cook a meal.

"Dinner is going to be about half an hour. Did you eat breakfast and lunch?"

"Yeah" he fibbed. Where did the day go? How long was he asleep for?

"So, next weekend, which would be a Saturday. I was thinking about this café in Vellir. It's not too far away and is very unique"

"What type of café is it? They're sorta common" he stood up to pour himself a glass of water from the tap.

"Oh, its just one your dad used to love. It's very colourful because the windows are stained glass and the tables are like bar stools but instead of being wooden, they're multi-coloured. They play old, grungy music and serve awesome coffee and the workers there are always chatty" a small smile appeared at her lips, and Izuku had no doubts that she was reliving memories with Hisashi, Izuku's father.

A warmth settled in Izuku's chest: last time his mum was talking about Hisashi, she was crying. He knew his mother buried herself in her work to try and hide her emotions from Izuku and herself. It was nice seeing her openly talk about him after the years.

"Y-Yeah, that sounds nice" he took a sip from his water.

"Okay" she continued stirring whatever wonder was inside the pot.

After dinner, Izuku flopped onto his bed, and continued re-reading _The Perks of Being a Wallflower._

"I feel infinite… what does that even mean?" he wondered for what felt like the millionth time.

He thought it might mean love. Izuku loved his mother dearly, and loved his late father too, but every time books explained about love he just couldn't _get _it. Sometimes they talked about freedom and cute day-to-day life, yet they also talk about beating hearts and passion. The main character of the book he was holding, Charlie, didn't really know either so he didn't feel too alone. Izuku just assumed it was like an ebony tunnel of doors: sometimes a door would be unlucky, and you want to escape from the bitter room, but sometimes the room behind the door can be so magical, that all you want to do is to lock yourself in there forever. Sometimes he wanted a door, even if it was a bad one. Sometimes he was frightened because this topic was something that books couldn't really explain to him about.

"Izu! I'm going now, make sure to eat breakfast"

He jolted awake, not even knowing that he had fallen asleep. Izuku hastily called a reply to his mother, then shot out of bed as he had to get to his job of which he was so dedicated to. Rushing downstairs, he shoved on a green shirt and flicked the kettle for a quick coffee; today was a Sunday so he preferred to open early as most customers come on a Sunday.

"Ah! It's almost eleven?" he shrieked and left the house with his abandoned coffee in it.

There was an elderly woman waiting patiently outside the khaki door and Izuku hastily apologised, even offering tea or coffee as compensation.

"It's okay, really" smiled the woman, "I was passing by and decided to wait around. It was only a few minutes before you came"

"But I must apologise!" Izuku's hands shook as he unlocked the door and let his customer in, who made a beeline for the endless racks of books.

He breathed a sigh of relief and winced at the mess he left before he left. Picking up the notebook, Izuku smiled sadly at the scrawled note left by Kai. Really, he shouldn't have gotten so het up and acted so irrationally.

"Do you have any suggestions?" spoke a voice, and Izuku turned to the woman with pale hair.

"Uh," he dropped the notepad and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "W-What type of book were you thinking of? Poetry? Fiction? Playwrights?"

"Tell me one of your favourite books" she smiled again.

"Okay, you've probably heard of it, but have you read _The Secret Garden_?"

"Oh, I've heard of it but never had the chance to read it"

"Well," he walked over to the specific shelf, "This book is really cool, I love it because you can easily see the main character's change in perspective. At first, she sees everything as negative and is a sour child, but after living in the moors and making friends, she becomes more positive. I've loved it for years"

Izuku presented the book to her and she took it from his hands, "Thank you, how much is it?"

"That would be £2, please"

"Let me get my purse"

After serving the woman, Izuku set to clearing his mess from last night by sweeping up the torn paper and putting the pillows back in the reading area like they should be. He picked up the notebook, re-read the message, then tucked it away in a drawer because he didn't have the heart to throw it away just yet.

"Hey, Mido!"

Izuku whipped round and saw a familiar face.

"Kirishima!"

Behind the redhead was the black-haired boy, the blonde, the pink-haired girl and lastly Bakugo. His body turned cold at the blood-red eyes, and Izuku avoided the gaze.

"I didn't know you worked here! You remember my friends, right?"

"Of course, I remember. Mina, Sero, Kaminari" he nodded at them each in turn, and they smiled and waved in response, "Bakugo"

"Ooh, I love those saucy sofas"

"Do you think they sell juicy love stories?"

"Gimme that orange juice just how I like it"

"That's kinda weird, not gonna lie"

"Why are we even here?" that was Bakugo, who asked the question with a dog-like snarl.

"To get study guides"

"I need a biology one desperately"

"Study guides?" Izuku interrupted the chaos, "Sure, we sell them here"

"I knew we could trust the trusty Midoriya trust bookshop"

"I didn't know you can read, Kami"

"How do I read the juice, huh? Me and Mina are experts on drinking it"

"What juice are we talking about? Apple? Aubergine?"

"Who the hell drinks aubergine juice? Does that exist? I want it now"

"Do it for the vine"

"Oh my god, shut the fuck up you're all useless"

"I feel as though Bakugo can be of meme-worthy material"

"Like…"

"Gordon Ramsey!"

"Yeah, but more studying than cooking"

"No"

"Study guides, guys?" Izuku cocked his head expectantly and Kirishima answered him.

"Yeah if you walk, they usually follow. Ignore the weirdness"

"You joined in!"

"I'm only semi weird. You're full weird"

"Like milk? Yannow, semi fat… full fat"

Izuku took Kirishima's advice and started walking towards the study guides.

"So, we have all the subjects here" he waved to the shelf, "Is there any particular ones you need?"

"I need biology"

"I need one on how to flirt"

"Everything available"

"Juicy ones?"

Giving up, Izuku sighed and said, "Knock yourselves out"

He then returned to behind the counter but couldn't help listening into the strange conversations the group was getting into.

"So, I was mining in Minecraft and I got some diamonds, yeah? And, you know the vine where people accidently drop the diamonds in lava, but I actually dropped them in _water"_

"What is water gonna do? Just pick them up"

"They floated! Down a waterfall! I-I lost them"

"That's literally the dumbest…"

"Can we just get on and leave, fuckwits?"

"Imagine a meme which is the Roblox 'oof' sound and the Minecraft 'you died' together?"

"That's cross-contamination, bro"

"I'm going to put whatever is in them shitty heads of yours and put it into a fucking blender"

"That's gross, bro"

"Are you like a secret zombie or something?"

"Wouldn't that be lit, though? Just a casual zombie"

"No, Kami, it won't be"

"I'm fucking leaving, idiots"

"Bye, Bakuhoe"

"No, we need mother hen"

"MOTHER, COME BACK"

"Daddy, we need you"

"Never say that again"

"He's leaving"

"See ya, Mido!"

They didn't even buy study guides. Izuku was very, very confused.


End file.
